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All Star Comedy Carnival
All Star Comedy Carnival was a television show broadcast on ITV every Christmas night from 1969 to 1973. It was a blatant copy of a similar programme by the BBC titled Christmas Night with the Stars which ran, with three exceptions, from 1958 to 1972. Both were hosted by a leading star of the time and featured mini-editions of favourite situation comedies and light entertainment programmes, with some musical interludes in-between. For ITV, the programme segments were produced by the individual companies who made the standard editions of the series in question. For the first two years, in 1969 and 1970, the programme featured a short edition of Coronation Street made by Granada Television, featuring the cast acting out a specially scripted yuletide-themed mini-episode of the serial. Both editions of the overall spectacular and the Coronation Street inserts themselves are missing from the ITV archive, though the soundtrack of the 1969 spectacular was located in 2016. This had been recorded by a viewer at the time of broadcast and is incomplete, though the Coronation Street section exists in its entirety. Two publicity photographs are also known to exist and from this and the TV Times billing it is possible to summarise the plot, cast and crew for this edition. 1969 This two-and-a-half hour edition, transmitted at 6.00pm, was introduced by Des O'Connor, musical spots were by Liberace and The Bachelors and the other programmes featured were: *''Doctor in the House'' *''Mr. Digby Darling'' (designed by future Street director Roger Cheveley), *''Cribbins'' *''Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width'' (written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver) *''On the Buses'' *''Father, Dear Father'' (featuring Noel Dyson) *''Two in Clover'' (written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver) *''Please Sir!'' *''The Dustbinmen'' (featuring Graham Haberfield, designed by Peter Caldwell, written by Jack Rosenthal and produced and directed by Richard Everitt. This segment does survive as a standalone item in the ITV archive) *''Dear Mother...Love Albert'' (co-written by Derrick Goodwin) *''Jokers Wild'' (designed by Roger Cheveley) *''Mike Yarwood. The linking material was written Tony Hawes and Bryan Blackburn, Albert Locke was the coordinating producer while Bill Ward was the executive producer for ATV who coordinated the enterprise for the ITV Network. Plot Emily has organised an outdoors Carol concert for the residents of Coronation Street. Ena and Minnie approach Albert's house and are late as Minnie was digging out an old lamp to bring with her. They and Emily knock on Albert's door but he refuses to join them as its too cold and they have no musical accompaniment for him. He's told he's wrong as Stan and Ken are among the menfolk heaving Ena's harmonium out of her flat. Emily gets Len and Elsie to join them as all of the other residents gather together in the middle of the street with a handful of children. Ena decides on ''Silent Night for their initial Carol. Their first attempt is drowned out by a passing train on the viaduct and their second attempt suffers a similar fate when a Salvation Army brass band approaches and plays Hark The Herald Angels Sing far more loudly than the carollers can hope to compete with. Ena goes off to speak to them and comes to an agreement - the band will play and the residents will sing along. She wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and asks them to pray for peace all over the earth - at least "them of us that knows how". The residents happily sing Silent Night along with the band. Cast *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson *Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander *Alan Howard - Alan Browning *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Emily Nugent - Eileen Derbyshire *Betty Turpin - Betty Driver *Sandra Butler - Patricia Fuller *Irma Barlow - Sandra Gough *Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth *Tommy Deakin - Paddy Joyce *Bernard Butler - Gorden Kaye *Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie *Cyril Turpin - William Moore *Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix *Valerie Barlow - Anne Reid *Kenneth Barlow - William Roache *Annie Walker - Doris Speed *Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens Credits *Writer - Ron McDonnell *Producer - H.V. Kershaw *Director - June Howson Notes This segment was staged entirely on the Grape Street set and was probably OB recorded in colour following the conventions of the programme at the time. Moreover, the set had just been rebuilt in brick and this was the first true appearance of this incarnation as the initial view of it in the main programme didn't occur until Episode 944 (12th January 1970). 1970 This edition was introduced by Max Bygraves. Like the previous year its duration was two-and-a-half hours and it was transmitted at 6.00pm. The other programmes featured were: *''Albert and Victoria'' *''Cribbins'' *''Dear Mother...Love Albert'' (co-written by Derrick Goodwin) *''Des O'Connor'' *''Doctor in the House'' *''Girls About Town'' (written by Adele Rose) *''Father, Dear Father'' (featuring Noel Dyson) *''For the Love of Ada'' (written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver) *''Hark at Barker'' *''Jokers Wild'' *''The Lovers'' (written and produced by Jack Rosenthal, designed by Colin Pocock, directed by Michael Apted) *''The Worker'' The linking material was written Vince Powell, Harry Driver, Spike Mullins and Dick Vossburgh, Peter Frazer-Jones was the producer/director while Philip Jones was the executive producer for Thames Television who coordinated the enterprise for the ITV network. Plot No script, synopsis or soundtrack is known to exist for the Coronation Street segment. TV Times is silent on the content of the mini-episode but a regional newspaper of the time does state that it involves a party in the Rovers Return Inn. Cast *Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander *Alan Howard - Alan Browning *Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant *Ray Langton - Neville Buswell *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Emily Nugent - Eileen Derbyshire *Betty Turpin - Betty Driver *Billy Walker - Kenneth Farrington *Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear *Irma Barlow - Sandra Gough *Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth *Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss *Elsie Howard - Patricia Phoenix *Valerie Barlow - Anne Reid *Annie Walker - Doris Speed *Maggie Clegg - Irene Sutcliffe *Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens Credits *Writer - Ron McDonnell *Designer - Tim Farmer *Executive Producer - H.V. Kershaw *Director - Eric Prytherch Notes *The segment was probably recorded during the period of the ITV Colour Strike which began on 13th November 1970. Even if it was recorded in colour, it was transmitted in black and white as the dispute did not end until 2nd February 1971. Gallery TV Times panel billings for the editions in question 1969 TVT.jpg|1969 1970 TVT.jpg|1970 Category:Coronation Street spin-offs Category:Christmas